1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital data broadcasting, and more particularly, to a broadcast signal and an apparatus and method of decoding a broadcast signal.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, digital data broadcasting has been seriously highlighted as a hot broadcasting issue. At present, in Korea, broadcasting companies are advancing experimental broadcasts for terrestrial broadcasting and are carrying out two-way data broadcasts for satellite broadcasting. In addition, the actual data broadcasting services of cable companies are close at hand.
In such digital broadcasting, information most useful to the user may be just channel and program guide information, namely, an electronic program guide (EPG) or advanced program guide (APG).
FIG. 1 shows an example of a general EPG provided in digital broadcasting.
As shown in FIG. 1, the user can acquire information, such as times and titles of broadcast programs and attendant services, from the EPG. That is, if the user pushes a remote controller key based on the EPG, he/she can view a broadcast programming list currently sent from a broadcasting station. Then, if the user clicks on a desired broadcast in the broadcast programming list, he/she can view the desired broadcast immediately. Therefore, there is no need to search a newspaper for the broadcast programming list.
Like this, the EPG is not only a core technology of the digital broadcasting, but also a basic service.
However, up to now, there is no method to indicate a data broadcast in the EPG. The data broadcast is a kind of multimedia service that a television (TV) provides like a personal computer (PC). This data broadcast is in the form of an additional signal or data information that is transmitted under the condition of being appended to a TV broadcast signal.
As a result, the user cannot determine, from the general EPG as shown in FIG. 1, whether a given program is a general program or a program containing a data broadcast.